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Bob Hope is a "Bachelor in Paradise" in this 1961 film also starring Lana Turner, Don Porter, Jim Hutton, Paula Prentiss, Janis Paige and Virginia Grey. Hope plays an author, A.J. Niles, whose specialty is the sexual practices of countries. When the IRS forbids him to leave the country, it's suggested that he concentrate on the U.S. He's sent to a development in California called Paradise and set up in a rental home. It's actually the home of one of the managers of the development, Rosemary Howard (Turner), and she lives elsewhere for the time being. Keeping his identity a secret, Adam, as he is called, holds seminars and discussion groups for the women of Paradise on how to keep their marriages fresh. Some of his advice works; some doesn't. Meanwhile, he's being pursued by the sexy but married Dolores Jynson, and he himself is after the beautiful Rosemary.This seems to be a very popular film with viewers who post here. I didn't make all the connections with it that some did as I don't come from this kind of background, but I can well appreciate how it would resonate if I had. It's a pleasant enough film, and it is a lot of fun to see all of the '60s furnishings, colors and styles of hair and dress and to realize how mores have changed with the years. The cast is very good (and very '60s) as well. People probably thought Prentiss and Hutton were married as they were paired together so often due to Prentiss' above average height, and it's always great to see Janis Paige and Virginia Grey.
My favorite Bob Hope era is that of the 1940s, where he had great material well suited to him. His youthfulness and the cowardly character he played, along with the situations he got into always made his films sparkle. And what leading ladies - Madeline Carroll, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy Lamour, etc. Here he is teamed with glamorous Lana Turner who looks very beautiful in the film and has the right coolness and sophistication for the part. As for Hope, at the age of 58, he doesn't have that boyish, enthusiastic, naive quality of the old days, and the jokes he's delivering are pretty stale.
Unlike "The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell," "Bachelor in Paradise" is not a dud. Though it's dated, that's part of the fun, and it has some genuinely funny moments, a lively cast and that American icon, Bob Hope. You can love him or hate him, but you can't deny he was a remarkable entertainer to many generations.
score 7/10
blanche-2 10 September 2008
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1943837/34961
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